Recently in class, we visited the Three Faiths Exhibit in order to see the Gutenberg 42 lined Bible, as well as all of the other beautiful illuminated manuscripts on display. As I was looking at these holy books, I was wondering what the stories connected to the illuminations were. I know that these were illuminated because most people at the time of their publication were illiterate, and therefore needed the illustrations to tell them what was happening in the book, but at the same time, knew what would be happening if they looked at these often. I, however, do not know the stories of the Bible, Torah, or Koran, and even though the books were open to look at, I would have no ability to see the story as it goes. I find slightly ironic that the books, that were meant to serve both the literate as well as the illiterate of the time, cannot continue to serve the purpose they once did, due to my inability to decipher the illuminations.
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